Gifts of Christmas

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Gifts of Christmas
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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in
the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from
the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He
who has been born King of the Jews? For we have
seen His star in the East and have come to
worship Him. When Herod the king heard this, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And
when he had gathered all the chief priests and
scribes of the people together, he inquired of
them where the Christ was to be born. (Matt.
21-4)
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So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for
thus it is written by the prophet But you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the
least among the rulers of Judah For out of you
shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people
Israel. Micah 52Then Herod, when he had
secretly called the wise men, determined from
them what time the star appeared. (Matt. 25-7)
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And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and
search carefully for the young Child, and when
you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I
may come and worship Him also. When they heard
the king, they departed and behold, the star
which they had seen in the East went before them,
till it came and stood over where the young Child
was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with
exceedingly great joy. (Matt. 28-10)
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And when they had come into the house, they saw
the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell
down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented gifts to Him
gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being
divinely warned in a dream that they should not
return to Herod, they departed for their own
country another way. (Matt. 211-12)
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Gifts of Christmas
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Black Friday Madness!
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Black Friday Madness!

• A woman doused fellow Walmart shoppers with
  Pepper Spray during a Black Friday eve bargain
  frenzy in suburban Los Angeles, injuring 20
  people.
• Reuters reports that security personnel had to
  use Stun Guns and Pepper Spray to control
  frenzied or disorderly shoppers at a mall.

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Black Friday Madness!

• A man was shot and critically wounded by robbers
  trying to steal newly purchased merchandise in a
  parking lot outside a Walmart on Black Friday
  morning near Oakland, CA.
• Walter Vance, 61 year old shopper at Target,
  collapsed on Black Friday morning in WV yet
  nearby bargain hunters continued to shop, some
  even stepping over his body, according to local
  reports. He later died.

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Christmas won't be Christmas without any
presents.
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For God so loved the world that He gave His one
and only Son John 316
Greatest Gift Giver Greatest Gift
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
(2 Corinthians 915 NIV)
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
They came to worship the new King!
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
A. Prophecies they may have heard
Daniel Know therefore and understand, That
from the going forth of the command To restore
and build Jerusalem March 5, 444 BC Until
Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks 483 yrs/360 lunar
days17,880March 30, 33AD The street shall be
built again, and the wall,Even in troublesome
times. (Dan. 925)
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
A. Prophecies they may have heard
Balaam I see Him, but not now I behold Him,
but not near  A Star shall come out of Jacob
 A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,  And
batter the brow of Moab,  And destroy all the
sons of tumult.(Num. 2417)
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
B. Phenomenon they saw
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
B. Phenomenon they saw His Star
Roman Historians
Pliny the Elder
Tacitus
Suetonius
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I. THE WISE MEN WHY THEY CAME
C. Perseverance they showed

• Distance 700 Miles
• Difficulty Travel in that time
• Danger Herod

They were determined to worship Him!
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Cancel Worship on Christmas?
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
A. Gold
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
A. Gold Speaks of Sovereign Dominion
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
A. Gold Sovereign Dominion
"Of the increase of His government and peace
there shall be no end. He will reign on David's
throne and over His kingdom, establishing and
upholding it with justice and righteousness from
that time on and forever. (Isa. 97)
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
B. Frankincense
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
B. Frankincense Speaks of Supreme Deity
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
B. Frankincense Supreme Deity
And the LORD said to Moses Takepure
frankincense with these sweet spices there shall
be equal amounts of each. You shall make of these
an incense and put some of it before the
Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I
will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
But as for the incense which you shall make, you
shall not make any for yourselves, according to
its composition. It shall be to you holy for the
LORD. (Exodus 3034-37)
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
B. Frankincense Supreme Deity
For unto us a Child is born humanity, Unto us
a Son is given Deity And the government will
be upon His shoulder. And His name will be
called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 96)
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
C. Myrrh
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
C. Myrrh Speaks of Sacrificial Death
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
C. Myrrh Sacrificial Death
"They offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but he
did not take it. And they crucified Him..."
(Mark 1523)
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
C. Myrrh Sacrificial Death
"And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by
night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and
aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the
body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen
with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to
bury." (John 1939-40)
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II. THE WISE MEN WHAT THEY BROUGHT
C. Myrrh Sacrificial Death
"He himself bore our sins in His body on the
tree." (1 Peter 224)
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III. IF WE ARE WISE, WE WILL BRING HIM

• Our Wealth
• Our Worship
• Our Witness

THIS CHRISTMAS
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Gifts of Christmas